Cafe Frauenhuber Chronik

foreign wines, frozen foods, liquors and water. In the afternoon it was cooked, fried or roast chicken, accor- ding to the season. Jahn was obliged to set up boards with the prices of food and drink, later he had the idea to burn them into his dishes. A fter some time Mozart got bored with this mix of fashion show, society and gormandizing together with classical music, so he withdrew from the event. Although the concerts were continued the aristocracy left too, so it was time for Jahn to look for an alternative. He now concentrated on making his place in the city the best in town, which he succeeded in doing. He organized musical, literary, scientific, dance and other amusing presentations. Indeed there does not seem to be any other restaurant in the world which can say of itself to have treated its guests to musical entertainment by Mozart and Beethoven, as occurred in November of 1788, when Mozart performed a pastorale by Handel, and on April 6th, 1797, when Beethoven performed his “Quintett for fortepiano with four horns”. A ll festivities, like weddings, anniversaries or dances could be held here, as there were a dining and a gaming room and a salon on the first floor. The “Private Piqueniques” held here were famous, accompanied by an excellent cook. In 1773 Empress Maria Theresia gave the then 28-year- old Jahn the position of cook (traiteur) in Schönbrunn [the Habsburgs summer palace in Vienna], and in 1773 in the Augarten* as well. The Augarten became very popular after 1775, when the later Emperor Joseph II opened the park and gardens to the general public and even perso- nally wrote the text to the sign at the entrance (“Amusement area dedicated to all people by their appraiser”). It was greatly Jahn’s merit that the place flourished. It was said that nowhere in the world could you get any better coffee than at Jahn’s in the Augarten. T his offered him the opportunity to develop to the highest his experi- ence and sense of business. The Mozart Concerts, established by Mozart in 1782, brought together a selected audience led by the high aristocracy, as only aristocrats had time for amusement during the daytime. Jahn’s magnificent cooking did it’s own to bring in a large audience. For breakfast he served coffee, choco- late, tea, almond milk, lemonade and all sorts of refreshments. For lunch he served hot dishes, Austrian and Wolfgang Kreps and in 1629 Hans Pekh, who bought the bath for 3500 Gulden. He later commited fraud, whereupon the house was transferred to the Privy Cousellor Ygnaz Mipho and his wife Eva, whom Pekh owed 5197 Gulden. The couple sold the bath to the barbersurgeon Christoph Ruepp for 5950 Gulden in 1673. His wife and children inherited it in 1689. In 1717 Dr. Phil. Franz Ruepp is mentioned as sole proprietor. He sold to the barber-surgeon Cosmos Damian (Amersin). S oon thereafter it seems that the bath was closed, probably after a new building had been raised on the site of the old one. The very nice fourstorey baroque building still stands today. In art photography it has often been called the former “Bacher’sches Haus”. Its year of construction has been dated between 1683 and 1769, but since a drawing by Salomon Kleiner from 1725-1735 shows the building with more or less its present façade, the construction must be placed before that period. Once there used to be a small crooked alley in elongation of Rauhenstein- gasse from Himmelpfortgasse to Johannesgasse, which has persisted to this day as a public passageway. In 1775 the house is owned by Franz Ruepp, probably a descendant of the family mentioned above. In 1795 the building was acquired by Franz Jahn, who had come from Hungary and who had a reputation as Schleinitz and Chaplain of the St. Paul’s Altar by the Himmelpforten. The site actually belonged to Heiligenkreuz but was subservient to the Scots. Since he did not have the obligation at hand but nevertheless wanted to sell the bath house, and since Abbot Donald, the landlord, denied his consent, Coloman gave him the mentioned letter of indemnity. T he bath remained in the possessi- on of the Civic Hospital until 1615 and was known as the Civic Hospital Bath. The barbersurgeons of that time were thus merely tenants or attendants. Amongst them we find Mathes Forster, mentioned in 1549, since May 17th, 1553, Johann Spietznagel, in 1562 Lienhart Echart and Urban Khumpfmüller, and Kaspar Ball in 1591, who resigned when he inherited the bath at Wallnerstraße. His successors were: In 1607 Bartholomäus Schmiedler, until then surgeon at the Civic Hospi- tal. In 1613 Christoph Gompelsberger, who had married his predecessor’s widow. In 1614 Weit Kheyerl. In 1616 Friedrich Andreas. On July 20th, 1615, the bath house was sold for 3000 Gulden and 75 Ducats to Maria Khöferlin, wife of the barber-surgeon Niklas Maroldt. In 1622 it was transferred from the land register of the Scots Convent to that of the Hospital Department. Maroldt handed over the bath to the Himmelpfort Monastery, which in 1628 appointed the barbersurgeon *The Augarten, a former palace garden and park in what is now the Viennese 2nd District, is very popular amongst locals. The palais today houses to this day the Augarten Porcelain Manufactory and the famous “Vienna Boys’ Choir”.